Yorkshire Terrier History

As their name implies, these charming little dogs were first bred in Yorkshire, a region in Northern England. Apparently the Scottish immigrants coming to Yorkshire in search of work have brought with them several different breeds of terrier, namely, Dandie Dinmont, Clydesdale, Skye and Manchester Terrier, and by some accounts, Maltese. These then bred amongst themselves and with local long haired Leeds Terrier.

Yorkshire Terrier History

These dogs were very popular at the time, as their small stature (even though they were significantly larger than what we today know as Yorkshire Terrier), bravery and determination made them ideal for hunting rats in the cotton and woolen mills in which their masters were often employed.

The first time one appeared at a bench show in 1861, it was still called a “broken haired Scotch Terrier”. It was in 1870 that they were named Yorkshire Terriers, as it was reported that their old name was not fitting anymore due to the fact that they’ve been significantly improved in Yorkshire.

The first record of a Yorkie born in United States dates back to 1872, where they were immediately adopted as show dogs, and never used for vermin extermination.

Yorkshire Terrier History

For some time there was still not a clear set of rules for accurately defining this breed, a lot of different types of terriers were being lumped in the same category, even though they exhibited some obvious differences, and clearly couldn’t be considered a same breed. Until, in the late 60s an extremely popular show dog named Huddersfield Ben pretty much defined what people had in mind when they said “Yorkshire Terrier”. Yorkies were first recognized as a breed by the AKC in 1885, and have since become one of the most popular show and companion dogs.